Chapter 84 - 84

Chapter 84

Honestly, I didn't know that Kang Dong-hwi was still playing around in the debut spot.

In , where I participated as Han Ji-hyeok, Kwon Dae-hyun ended up taking 7th place, and Kang Dong-hwi was eliminated at the finals along with me.

I expected the rankings of the two to be like that, but surprisingly, Kang Dong-hwi was making great progress.

But somehow I had a feeling that this time the power would be a little weaker.

"Three trainees, please come forward."

We gave a warm round of applause to Kang Si-yoon, Kang Dong-hwi, and Heo Yu-bin.

As they walked towards the front of the set, Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin briefly crossed paths and smiled broadly at each other.

'I never imagined I would see such a sight in the first round.'

Kang Si-yoon didn't make it to the debut lineup last time.

Heo Yu-bin had been ranked low from the beginning, to the point that I just recognized his name this time.

The fact that an underground trainee continues to rise through the ranks and make it to the final stage is sure to garner a lot of attention.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is literally a human victory.

But on the other hand, I also think this.

'If I had not come back as the crown prince but had participated again in my original body, would the same situation have unfolded? '

Even if you just look at Heo Yu-bin's ranking, the influence of Karis von Walden is enormous.

If he hadn't met me, Heo Yu-bin would have continued to be in a state of 'hikikomori' and would have lacked confidence.

There is a high possibility that he suffered the bitter taste of elimination before he could show off his talent as a main vocalist.

Additionally, Baek Si-hwa and Yoo Min-ha, who had not previously participated in , also appeared.

And these two have had a lot of influence on the guys who participated in this survival show since the last episode.

Fluctuations in rankings.

The relationships between trainees too.

Overall survival progress.

'When Yoo Min-ha entered the debut lineup, the existing debut members were pushed out, and the trainees surrounding Yoo Min-ha became even more united due to Baek Si-hwa's misdeeds.'

I also developed a close relationship with Yoo Min-ha through my role as the Crown Prince, and I am still receiving positive influence from him.

If it had been my original body, I don't know what our relationship would have been like.

It would have been difficult to become close if we didn't have the common setting of being comic book fanatics.

And above all else,.

"I can finally talk about it comfortably, but I was a little puzzled when you were not in the top 3 in the first ranking ceremony."

"Yes?"

"Personally, I thought it would be no problem to be in the top 5 right away. Seriously."

I would never have heard this kind of story from people like Chae Eun-gyu.

I asked, tilting my head slightly.

"Did you really think that way from the beginning, hyung-nim?"

"Of course! You have a handsome face, a good physique, and a definite character. If I could live with your face for just one day, I would have no regrets."

"You are handsome enough, hyung-nim."

"And you're so good at socializing. Are you really from Estonia? "

"Shall I show you my passport? "

Chae Eun-gyu burst into laughter after hearing my last words.

"But now that the rankings have risen so much, I'm excited too."

... It seems that Chae Eun-gyu was really rooting for me.

He always said that he wanted to be on the same team as me from the moment he first saw me in the practice room, and he even expressed his concern for me when the controversy over the trailer for episode 10 broke out.

Even though we are competitors, I feel grateful.

"What do you think, Karis? Do you think Yubin can make it into the top 7?"

"If we look at it objectively, it doesn't seem like it will be difficult."

There is a saying that arms bend inward, but I thought about it from the most cool-headed perspective possible.

[This is an old, a really old, Korean proverb, "An arm bends inwards." This saying means that all humans, whether humans like it or not, have a tendency to take care of their own kinds before strangers. ]

Chae Eun-gyu also opened his eyes wide in response to the unexpected.

"Trainee Heo Yubin. You started from the Underground level in the level test and have now confirmed your place in the final round. Can I ask you how you feel right now?"

Choi Sia also seems to have had a hunch that Heo Yu-bin would be a hot topic at this ranking announcement ceremony.

While the other trainees were only asked brief thoughts after the rankings were announced, Heo Yu-bin was bombarded with questions even before that.

"Uh, uh, uh.... I, to put it bluntly, I can't believe it. It feels so unrealistic, to the point where I wonder if it's right for me to be standing here.... It feels like I'm going to wake up from this dream at any moment."

"At the first level test, he was ranked underground. He rose to Tier 2 in the final ranking evaluation. He started out in 20th place in the first ranking announcement, then in 13th place, and now he is in sight of the Top 7. Many national managers have chosen trainee Heo Yu-bin as one of the miracles of . Is there a reason why he was able to pull off such a huge difference?"

"Ah.... Hmm."

Heo Yu-bin held the microphone tightly and closed his eyes tightly.

I was watching him closely, worried that some abnormal status might occur.

Fortunately, the red light didn't flash.

"To be honest, I don't think I could have come here alone. I was able to be here thanks to the help of so many friends, hyungs, and judges."

As soon as Heo Yu-bin finished speaking, voices were heard from all over the studio.

"Yubin, definitely teach me more songs later! "

"Yubin, you're cool! "

Ken Hashimoto and Yoo Min-ha, two friends of the same age, gave encouragement to Heo Yu-bin.

Thanks to the cheering, Heo Yu-bin's shoulders, which had been slightly bent forward due to nervousness, straightened a little.

"Then, I will announce the trainee ranked 8th."

A familiar BGM was played, and Choi Sia slowly revealed information about the 8th-place trainee.

"This trainee has received benefits in three competitions. And.... did not receive fever time in the second ranking announcement ceremony."

These are pretty plausible comments, but in fact, the information applies to all three of them.

I felt once again that the production team was trying to buy time by using all sorts of tricks.

On the other hand, the trainees standing in front of the set were in agony.

I think it dragged on like that for another two minutes.

"He's in 8th place. Oh, that's a truly amazing record. This is trainee Heo Yubin, who rose a whopping 5 places! "

The moment his name was called, Heo Yu-bin's legs lost all strength.

Kang Si-yoon and Kang Dong-hwi congratulated him as they helped him up from the position where he had almost fallen forward.

After expressing his feelings with tears in his eyes, Heo Yu-bin climbed up to the 8th-place chair with unsteady steps.

And one interesting fact came to light.

"Trainee Heo Yubin received a total of 2,840,981 votes through Fever Time. Thanks to the Fever Time effect, he was able to raise his ranking significantly on the last day of voting with great firepower. I would like to congratulate him once again."

When I heard that 7 people activated Fever Time, I thought that 7 people would definitely receive the debut tickets.

But in reality, Heo Yu-bin, who was in 13th place, rose five places in the rankings by hitting a buzzer beater during fever time.

And the voter turnout was pretty surprising.

'I received 2.7 million votes at the previous ranking announcement ceremony, and now Heo Yu-bin, who is in 8th place, has that number. That means the number of votes that will be announced in the future will be even higher.'

I know that the attendance rewards given to national managers have increased and that there has been a lot of influx of people watching .

But I didn't know the votes would rise this quickly.

Looking at the numbers alone, it is accumulating almost 400,000 more votes than when I participated in as Han Ji-hyeok.

Results that were truly beyond imagination continued to unfold.

'The changes that I have brought about and the changed structure due to new participants have brought together a lot more people.'

In the announcement that followed, Kang Dong-hwi took 7th place.

Kang Si-yoon rose to 6th place, the debut rank, for the first time with 3.31 million votes.

"Congratulations, Siyoon! "

"Congratulations, hyung! "

"Great job! "

As expected of someone with a pleasant personality, Kang Si-yoon sat in the wide 6th-place spot with the support of many trainees.

At that moment, our eyes met for a moment.

He gestured very loudly, as if telling me to come up.

"Next is 5th place."

Little by little, the trainees in the studio began to focus their attention on a specific area.

In particular, sitting with Chae Eun-gyu and Yoo Min-ha, I could feel the cold gazes very clearly.

Song Hyyng-bin and Ji Yoon-chul are probably experiencing the same phenomenon.

"Hyungs, I'll go up first! Please come as slowly as possible! "

I heard Yoo Minha whispering softly behind me.

Chae Eun-gyu tried to respond right away but was stopped by Choi Sia's quick announcement.

"Congratulations, trainee Yoo Min-ha! "

Yoo Min-ha maintained the same ranking.

I thought he might be able to go higher this time by obtaining personal benefits.

"Wow, look at the difference in votes between Siyoon and Minha?"

"The difference is huge."

"Even though they received the same fever time, this happens?"

"Even if all six of us put ourselves together, we could never do that."

Yoo Min-ha's total votes were a whopping 4.02 million.

The trainees, who were almost certain to be eliminated, joked that even if all six of them stuck together, they wouldn't be able to get past that mark.

As we go up, the number of votes increases tremendously.

"Is it because the basic score for achieving fever time has increased? Everyone's score has increased significantly across the board."

"I think that had the biggest influence."

"Today's number one could get 5 million."

Chae Eun-gyu spoke in a calm voice.

In contrast, Yoo Min-ha, who was asked a question by Choi Sia, was shaking off his momentum for the first time in a long while.

"At first, I was really scared. I always just did what my agency told me to do, so I was really worried about whether I could adapt well and whether it would be too hard to participate in a new survival show. However, I was able to pull myself together when I saw the amazing people I got to know through and the national managers who cheered me on so unbelievably! By following my motto of never giving up, I was able to continue to pursue my goals, and in the process, I grew into a better person...."

It's really amazing how he can speak so many lines at such a fast pace without stuttering.

Choi Sia, who had been nodding and listening at first, soon began to quietly stop Yoo Min-ha's rampage.

"I would like to congratulate our trainee Yoo Min-ha once again for always showing us a bright and cheerful appearance. I hope he will be able to entertain the national managers with an even better performance next time, right? "

"Yes, of course! I promise, National Managers! "

As Yoo Min-ha returned to his seat, Choi Sia, who had been smiling, lowered the corners of her mouth again.

" 3rd Ranking Announcement Ceremony. We will announce the next ranking, 4th place."

As Choi Sia glanced at the envelope containing the voting results and tilted her head meaningfully, the trainees also started to stir.

"Her expression is serious? "

"What is it? What happened? "

"Could it be that the Top 3 of the Unmoved have been broken?"

"Hey, no way. That place was just a sanctuary."

Chae Eun-gyu, sitting next to me, moved his body slightly, as if he sensed something.

"I have an incredible result in my hands right now. It's no exaggeration to say that is full of twists and turns. This trainee... has received group benefits and has also performed wonderfully on music shows."

Up to this point, it's all very obvious.

Among me, Song Hyung-bin, Ji Yoon-chul, and Chae Eun-gyu, there is no one who does not fall into that category.

But then a large bomb fell.

"Also, this trainee.... dropped in rank compared to last time."

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